Opening with part one of "Black Wire," an MC5-inspired Booker T. & the MGs/'60s soul instrumental-styled vamp, the album doesn't seem to diverge from previous Make-Up releases. But "Live in the Rhythm Hive," the second song, changes directions nicely, serving up a straight-outta-D.C. swamp-rock riff that carries through the rest of the song, a song that is punctuated with Svenonius' characteristically strained vocal wails.Much of In Mass Mind follows in the footsteps of "Rhythm Hive," and with "Earth Worm" (parts one and two), the band even makes a credible foray into dub reggae.

It's unnecessary but interesting, partially because it seems that these guys (and woman) have succeeded in creating a more varied album than their previous efforts. In Mass Mind got me so excited about The Make-Up that I went rooting through my record collection to pull out their earlier albums, only to find that -- damn! -- I'd sold them. Now I'll never know if I was just missing the point or if this is their first solid album. I guess the fact that "Adam and Eve" produced In Mass Mind can be interpreted as a sign that this is a fresh beginning for The Make-Up, or maybe I'm just rationalizing my being an idiot.